digg

Join DiggAbout

Discover and share the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

Wachovia Bank in Florida Distributing Counterfeit $100 Bills

local6.com — Different Customer Given Refund After Fake Money Claim, Report Says

Bury
show profanity settings
expand all
  • SouthernGuy118, on 07/23/2008, -2/+80great, not only are they collapsing, they are giving out fake money
    • ZackScott, on 07/23/2008, -0/+23They have to make up their second-quarter $8,860,000,000 loss somehow...
    • dracostimpy, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2...fake money that will undoubtedly be traced back to either:

      A) Venezuela
      B) Iran
      C) North Korea
      • MacSuxWindozSux, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Venezuela? What the heck did they ever do?
      • LunaticFringe, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Hugo Chavez made low-cost oil available for America's poor. That's what they did.
      • dracostimpy, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Did I need to put "traced back to" in quotes for you to understand I was being facetious? Also, if mac sux, windows sux and your icon is a crossed out linux penguin, what the hell do you use... OS/2?
      • richmomz, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1D) an 18 year old summer intern having fun with the art department printer.
      • Hangly, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1fake money has been traced back to Wachovia Bank.
      • MacSuxWindozSux, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2@dracostimpy

        I am John McCain's typewriter technician.
    • kingp, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6techincally isn't EVERY bank distributing fake money? Just sayin'...
    • klisejo, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1"A Wachovia representative said it will not refund any money because it can't verify the $1,000 in counterfeit notes were the same bills Garcia was handed by their teller."

      Well, they could fingerprint the bills The teller would leave a nice thumbprint as she counted out the bills to him at the counter.
    • SpacePoet, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I had a person say they got fake bills recently from a bank, luckily he caught it. This is rather coincidental. I live in Clearwater, FL.
    • richmomz, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2Technically EVERY bank is authorized to print money out of thin air - in many cases up to $30 for every $1 deposited. It's called the 'fractional reserve system', and its the cornerstone of our incredibly screwed up financial system.
  • buba1243, on 07/23/2008, -1/+67No inflation worries there just print more money, hell the fed does it all the time.
    • Cryptocracy, on 08/17/2008, -6/+18these phony $100 bills are not any less valuable than the fake ones the FED prints up.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/25/2008, -1/+2Except when a retailer refuses them as a a form of payment because they're counterfeit.
    • Narcism, on 07/24/2008, -0/+16Mugabe approves.
    • davidkeithjones, on 07/24/2008, -0/+15Bank of Xerox
    • PabloMac, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4The Fed doesn't print our so-called "money," but they sure manipulate it and every aspect of our lives at their whim.
    • stgx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Nope. The Fed does not print money. The U.S. Treasury does.

      Waay to sound intelligent.
    • curtisag, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5By artificially manipulating interest rates below what they should be, the Fed is able to pump money into the system, which is basically the same as printing money. The problem is inflation and devaluation of the currency. The dollar today is worth 4 cents of what it was worth when the Fed took control of our monetary system.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/25/2008, -1/+1And by doing my job at work, managing, I'm basically making sure the company is running well.

        True, to a point, but you and everyone else are stretching things a little too much. If, say, every printer the U.S. Treasury breaks down, no matter how much money the Fed is saying needs to be printed, it's not going to get printed. Basically, sure. Technically, you're wrong.
  • lindsay4767, on 07/23/2008, -4/+100In America, please define "fake" money..
    • homerj1965, on 07/23/2008, -8/+43Good point. Since it is a FIAT currency and not backed by anything but faith in the government you could say it is pretty fake anyway.
      • arjung, on 07/24/2008, -6/+3why do people insist on writing FIAT rather than fiat? i keep thinking of the car company when it's capitalized like that.
      • OMGWTFROFLMAOx2, on 07/24/2008, -2/+12Please name 1 major currency in the world that is not currently a fiat currency.
      • Scrappy1850, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Linden
      • minionboy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Well, we were only on Fiat money for periods of 7-14 years in the past, specifically to pay for wars, then we would go back to the gold standard. The longest period was from 1931-1945, to fund WW2. The long term Fiat system that we're on now is the longest and least successful of any we've had in the past.

        Unfortunately, I could not find a comprehensive list of countries that are, or are not, on the fiat system, only a history of their failures.
      • dragon76, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2pound sterling notes issued by the Bank of England are directly backed by government credit
    • brad3378, on 07/24/2008, -2/+9The paper kind
    • Bakedwafer, on 07/24/2008, -3/+8And so is every other country in the world.
    • etx313, on 07/24/2008, -3/+3Anything not sanctioned by the big flying turd Federal Reserve. They are the only ass hats allowed to print money.
      • PabloMac, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2The Federal Reserve doesn't print money.
    • MxM111, on 07/24/2008, -2/+24The ones that I print are fake. The one that government prints are not. That's the definition.
      • obliviousfool, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3You do a good job, MxM111. I have faith in your currency.
      • zip000, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5Expect the Secret Service any minute.
      • Thuktun, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3@zip000 dugg for knowing who goes after currency counterfeiters
  • jei731, on 07/23/2008, -6/+24With lots of people withdrawing their savings from banks to protect them, this is a great chance to make big profits for people spreading forgeries. FDIC only has $53 billion to guarantee savings upto $100k for people, (that means 530,000 people) and that money is going to run out real fast when the banks are starting to flip.

    Bush government is turning fast from neocons to neocommunists with the stopping of free trade in bank stocks. This did not prevent the downfall of communism and it won't stop the downfall of the neocommunist USA either. Printing more money, whether by conmen or government, will lead to a Zimbabwe-style country where only real, practical things like ammo are worth anything.

    Also note that you don't make forgeries worth only $1000 bucks, when the equipment for making them costs tens of millions alone. You make them by the billions, if not trillions. I think the downfall of the dollar is ever more inevitable as this is a very bad sign. Some banks are obviously very desperate.
    • zadadka, on 07/24/2008, -11/+7"....where only real, practical things like ammo are worth anything. "

      Redneck quote of the day......
      • wedges, on 07/24/2008, -0/+8considering he's talking about zimbabwe, this isn't really what i'd call a redneck comment.
      • maceelk, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3I think he was injecting a bit of irony....
    • armyabn1, on 07/24/2008, -5/+5Your math doesn't work out when you think about how many of those "530,000" actually keep $100,000 in a bank. I would imagine that comparatively very few people have even a tenth of that amount in any given bank.
      • dracostimpy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6Okay so it's $10000 for 5.3 million people then. What about the other 295 million who want their $10000? Or maybe it's only $1000 for 53 million... that still leaves 250 million penniless, doesn't it?
      • anachronaut, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1You might be surprised. Don't forget about Certificates of Deposit (CDs), as they count toward the 100k cap.

        But the 530k/100k figures are really pretty pointless when you consider that 1 bank's failure -- IndyMac -- just sucked out 10% (yes, TEN PERCENT from only ONE bank failure) of the FDIC's $53B rescue fund. And IndyMac really wasn't all that big of a bank, all things considered... there are much bigger fish out there that are finding themselves in some pretty hot water right now.

        I predict a troubled future for anyone who's counting on an FDIC rescue of all the failed banks. It might be time to start stuffing mattresses (with precious metals, not paper).
    • NinjasR2Cool, on 07/24/2008, -8/+4Since this bank just passed some fake C-notes the whole US economy is going to go under? Hmm thats interesting since there have been counterfeit bills around for decades and we're still here. Id really like to know how someone could be so cynical and pessimistic.....
      • Bamont, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2You don't come to Digg often, do you? Sensationalism is quite popular here.
  • benitojuarez, on 07/24/2008, -8/+3Well the stocks gone up about 6 dollars since they announced that $8 billion loss, maybe thisll make the stock go up another 2 or 3. Then I can dump it on some other chump.
    • geobay, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1thisll? Really?
      • Ajajadude, on 07/25/2008, -1/+1Nobody likes a smart ass. Especially when the smart ass feels the need to criticize someone else's spelling and/or grammar.
    • benitojuarez, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2Grammar Nazi? Really? Its the internet not a submission to the new england journal or medicine.
  • mpobri, on 07/24/2008, -6/+3Surprising this could happen -- anytime I go to my credit union with a cash deposit they check any bills larger than $20's. I feel bad for the victims, but it is difficult for Wachovia to determine where they got these particular bills.
    • doktorrocket, on 07/24/2008, -1/+13I'm somewhat less surprised, it might be an inside job....if you're a teller who suspects you might lose your job soon, this is an easy way to hit back. Print up some low-quality counterfeits and pass them out to unsuspecting customers (people assume money from a bank is legit, at least they used to.). Then take an equal amount of real bills and pocket them. Your drawer still balances at the end of your shift. Wonder how wide spread it is?
      • trogdor282, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2My guess is they rely on those special magic markers to test, which are proven to not work at all.
      • thedarkwolf, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3I thought the same thing. It is unlikely the bank itself sanctioned the counterfeits, It has to pass through too many hands, too many checks, and a conspiracy like that would need to involve enough people that it would be too great a risk.

        Much more likely is the fact that some teller is pocketing the $100 bills while handing out fakes
      • Ajajadude, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1I know some stores are using those blacklight things to check the bills.
    • Pittance, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Cameras would notice. There's 1 for each employee and 1 for each employee station. Plus, printing fake money that could pass normal consumers would be a little costly.
      • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Actually if you looked at those camera systems they all watch the "customer" side of the counter ONLY. I had a problem with a bank where they said that I cashed a bond (which I didn't), they showed me my signature from a scan that was done (which was not mine) and when I asked to view the cameras that day they told me that they only showed the customers (and they were right).

        I had gone in to get the value of some bonds I had had for years. I didn't cash any of them out that day. Although it turned out to be my word vs. theirs and I didn't have the time/money for a lawyer for a stupid $50 bond worth $70.
  • StingingNettle, on 07/24/2008, -4/+44Hahaha, so on top of all this, the bank was also caught laundering drug money for south American cartels, now they are also handing out counterfeit money? haha plus a 8 billion loss in one quarter! They all should be arrested. And the government is tapping my phone??

    Who are the terrorists now?
    • kingmanic, on 07/24/2008, -0/+14Somewhere along the line, your government, your fellow countrymen, your corporations, and social institutions failed you. No idea where to start to fix America, no idea if it's even fixable or will America just fade into history like a extremely short lived Rome.
      • mooseofshadows, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6The corporations bought your government, and your fellow countrymen went along with it.
      • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Well it is possible however we Americans are too lazy to care. I've said all along... people don't care as long as they can watch American Idol (or other dumbass TV show), go shop at Wal-Mart and "feel" like they are doing good. Until it hits HARD, nothing will change. I know people with no money (living paycheck to paycheck) that refuse to vote for anything but republican because they don't want their taxes going up.

        The ONLY way to fix America is to let it first burn to the ground. Then you will finally have people demanding answers and "We the People" will finally unite and rid ourselves of this corporate ran government.
  • HCviolence, on 07/24/2008, -9/+3The this pace the fake 100$ may be worth more then a real 100$.
  • foxinthehole, on 07/24/2008, -3/+6I'm buying Euros...
    • wedges, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4i bet you're not!
    • greeniemeani, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3That's a great idea since now it is more expensive than ever to buy them with USD.
      • positron, on 07/24/2008, -0/+8Less so today than tomorrow.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Until the roller coaster know as the world economy changes direction.
    • kyle415, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1The only way it will pay off is if it get worse. I hope it doesn't, but I wouldn't doubt it.
    • richmomz, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Sorry but the Euro is going to be next - it is paper fiat just like the dollar.
  • aecarol, on 07/24/2008, -2/+8In other news Wendy's putting human fingers in chili, and Elsinore Brewery putting mice in Bob and Doug McKinzie's beer....
  • Cyrock, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Well that's one way to stimulate the enconomy, or to devaule the dollar even more...
  • Lucas123, on 07/24/2008, -1/+7Hey, if you can't earn it - print it yourself.
  • zebraz, on 07/24/2008, -5/+9Isn't all the US money counterfeit ?
    • crapmatic, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5Only the sevens and tens from Wachovia.
    • sanosuke001, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0No, it's all legit. It's just that all of it is valued based on the confidence in the government. Both are quickly falling...
  • Feanor, on 07/24/2008, -2/+7I suggest wiring your money out of that bank ASAP.
    • smemily, on 07/24/2008, -2/+0Didn't we learn from the great depression that a run on the banks isn't the best idea?
      • Blg7, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0Its only a bad idea if the banks are actually structurally sound. If they are going to collapse anyways, it is the best possible thing you can do - and fast. (unless of course you don't mind 'taking one for the team' and losing everything?)
      • smemily, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0If you have less than $100k in there your money is all guaranteed by the government. Pulling out guarantees a collapse if enough people do it. The last thing we need to do is panic.
      • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Hell though I'm thinking that everyone SHOULD pull their money out; force the hand. Let all the big guys 'take one for the team' and put their money in.

        Is there any way that we can demand cash from our employer? Sounds like a great idea.
      • Ajajadude, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Yeah, that's a great idea, "force their hand." That'd be like playing chicken with an asteroid.
  • WarPirate, on 07/24/2008, -13/+6In Soviet Russia $100 bills counterfeit you.
  • speedk0re, on 07/24/2008, -0/+28as someone who worked in a bank for several years, just wanted to share a few thoughts:

    #1 - it doesn't mention how the bills were counterfeited, which plays a huge part in the whole "who's to blame" theory. I once got a $100 bill from a customer that I missed the first time because they complete washed a $5 bill, and had a $100 printed over it. So those counterfeiting pens show the bill as being good, and it has the strip in the light. Only difference was you saw Lincoln instead of Franklin when holding it up to the light.

    #2 - This little blurb is complete baloney:
    "Ten (bills) in one transaction to come from one bank, that is definitely unusual," U.S. Secret Service representative Jim Glendinning said.
    "But is it possible?" Pipitone asked.
    "Remotely, yes it is," Glendinning said"
    Not unusual at all. All it takes is one stupid teller to take in a large deposit of all fake bills. Of course the bills are going to stay together in his/her drawer/till, and be handed out at the same time.

    #3 - when the bank or customer gets counterfeit bills and the secret service is contacted, the money is never refunded. It sucks but that's the way it is. I had one of my most trusted, regular customers make a deposit that had $300 in fake bills. I felt so bad confiscating the money from him, but sadly that's just the way it is. Instead of blaming Wachovia for not refunding the money, we should be blaming the government for not refunding the money imho.
    • wanderingsun, on 07/24/2008, -0/+15"complete washed a $5 bill, and had a $100 printed over it. "

      Thanks for the tip!
      • endlessoul, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2It's a little bit harder than that, skippy.

        Plus, it grants you quality time in PMITA prison. So, you know, weigh the options.
    • Chalks777, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4I'm currently working in a bank, and I'm going to add to your comments a bit:

      You handle a huge number of bills every day as a teller. It's easy to forget to check a few bills, or even do just a cursory check. I mean, holding each bill up to the light to check the watermark and using the little pen thing on each bill gets to be a huge hassle after awhile. Plus, it makes you feel like you're telling your customer that you don't trust them.

      Furthermore, if my manager was contacted by a customer saying that we gave him $1000 in counterfeit bills, there is NO way that that money would be refunded. It's very unlikely that we could prove he got the bills from us. As for the article mentioning that they refunded $40 to someone else, that's more reasonable. I can see a manager refunding that (even though they can't get any proof that the bills were theirs originally) just to get an irate customer off his back... $40 isn't nearly as big a deal as $1000.
      • mytruckhasdents, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1As a customer and user of banks, I can honestly say I've never....NEVER...had a teller verify my money, at least not in front of me. I drop some cash down, they take it and give me a receipt. The most they ever do it count it...
      • Blg7, on 07/24/2008, -3/+0>using the little pen thing on each bill gets to be a huge hassle after awhile

        Poor tellers. Have to work for a living. So sad. :`(

        I would guess it isn't nearly the hassle your customers go through when a lazy teller like yourself cuts corners and ends up handing out counterfeit money that isn't refunded! Which is worse, using a little pen or losing the money you were going to spend on your wedding to incompetence?
      • Chalks777, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1@mytruckhasdents don't get me wrong... I'm not saying it's right that tellers don't check every bill, it's just what happens. I almost never check bills for customers I recognize, and those I don't recognize I will only check if they have a large number of bills. That said, I personally have found over $500 in counterfeit money in two years of working at a bank in my tiny town.

        @Blg: using the pen gets to be a hassle because when people like you come into the bank, the instant I start marking their bills, they get pissed off. I am paid to make sure that people keep coming back to my bank, even the jerks.
    • commiecat, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I live in Florida and this exact scenario happened to someone I worked with a few months ago. Same bank -- withdrawing from Wachovia to deposit to Bank of America.

      She got a single counterfeit $100 from Wachovia. The Secret Service had to get involved, and she did get her real $100. I don't recall if it was just a refund from Wachovia or distributed by the Secret Service, but she got it.
    • Blg7, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0>we should be blaming the government for not refunding the money

      It wasn't the government that didn't do their job and check the bills before giving them to customers. Why would we blame them for the ineptitude of private companies?
      • speedk0re, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1spoken like a true "victim." If you read Chalks777's post he's correct... customers tend to get very angry if you pull out a marker and start checking bills in front of them. Aside from that, let's imagine for a second that the bank (as they tend to) has a line of customers waiting to cash their paychecks. Do you really want a teller to mark every single bill they take in or pass out? What if it's a deposit/withdrawal of $20,000 ?
        As the customer if you are that worried about counterfeits, carry your own pen and check the bills while you're still inside the bank. Incompetent people are everywhere and infiltrate every job... just think about how frequently McDonalds will screw up your order. In my 5 or so years as a teller the washed bill was the only counterfeit bill to ever get past me and it did for only about 2 minutes (plus it would have passed the market test.) Ask any competent bank teller and they'll say the same thing... you can just "feel" a counterfeit.
        And yes I blame the government. If they're unable to devise a system for currency that is prone to counterfeiting, and they insist any bills that are counterfeited are seized immediately, then they should be responsible for reimbursement due to a flawed system.
  • Paulish, on 07/24/2008, -0/+13The government just hates competition :P
    • dracostimpy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4A++++ If we were in prison together, I'd protect you in the shower.
  • ChestRockwell, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4Wouldn't it have been smarter for him to just write a check to himself and deposit it that way? Who walks around with $3600 on him, that alone is crazy.
    • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Well if he had to "pay" for something then that would have been the way to do the transfer if it were time sensitive. If you were to walk into BoA with a check for $3600, one they would not get the money right away and 2 they would wait before you could access the money. I guess the dude didn't think about getting a cashier's check for this.
    • JrtD, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0Maybe people are keeping more money in cash after seeing others on TV having a hard time pulling their money out of a failing bank. It doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.
  • jokerhl, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4Worthless money, hell the government has been printing it for years.
  • screamingjoker, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7In a famous 1993 speech at George Washington Univ. Political stratigist Karl Rove said the goal of a Neo-Conservative government was to create a condition of "All-on-All Economic Warfare" in the United States.

    Bottom Line: You are at war with one another and with Corporate America. The Banks own the battlefield, and the Fed dictates the terms of engagement. You're on your own to protect your own wealth. Manage your own finances. And as for this article: Check your OWN money for its authenticity, you cannot trust any institutions or governments, because in their own words "you are at war with them".
    http://www.ustreas.gov/usss/money_detect.shtml
    • thedarkwolf, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Some wisdom to it. I consider myself fairly cautions. But if i was in that situation, I would probably not have checked for counterfeit bills I got from a bank. I would like to think I would notice, but lets be honest, If the forgeries are at least halfway decent, I would have missed it. Time to be more careful. Of course, I would never have withdrawn $3600 in cash in the first place...
      • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I was thinking the same thing... Why would anyone think of checking money coming FROM the bank? It's not like it is a McDonalds or anything.
        Why are the banks not held more responsible? For instance why don't they have a system so that when you take IN money it is put in a container (one for each customer... something reusable) and then that goes into a "deposit" area where the money is then checked (again and this time the serial numbers are inventoried/checked) and then they can be recirculated? Money from the till TO the customer should be all legal tender and not a sweaty stack of 20s the guy from the lawn care company just handed over.
    • orangefly, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1so what happens if a teller hands you money and you check it right there....if it's fake wouldn't they probably still just confiscate it....i could see them saying once it's in your hands, it's your money....
      • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I love how the government is quick to make laws so that we cannot do X or Y however it could be a law made that says that it is mandatory that a bank check your money before handing it to you, make sure they have cameras on you AND the teller (which right now cameras are only pointed at you) and then if there is a dispute like this... check the tapes.
    • Elliuotatar, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Gee those detection guidelines are so helpful. I mean nobody ever comes across old faded bills which have been crumpled and washed and scuffed up. And the feds never ever make printing errors. And there certaibly aren't older bills floating around without the modern security measures we're supposed to look for.
  • GamerVer05, on 07/24/2008, -2/+7I have a different theory, the customer counterfeited those bills and wants a free 1000$.
    • Scrappy1850, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2* $1000
    • kingmanic, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1There are better ways to pass counterfeits then to make a public spectacle and involve the government. For instance maybe organizations launder the bills through small transactions. Print 1000 $20 and get a few people to buy gum 50 times.
      • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1or another fav. is to go into Taco Bell with a $50 and try to ***** up the cashier with the change. Say you are supposed to get back $40 you tell them "Can I have my change be 2 tens, 3 fives and 10 ones". You'd be surprised how many people will fall for that one. We had to train people against that.
  • thedarkwolf, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Sucks to be that guy. If he really did get those counterfeit bills from Wachovia and they wont refund it, he is out of luck. Next time, if you want to take money from one bank and deposit into another, don't use cash, use cashiers checks.
  • rottencod, on 07/24/2008, -3/+4How is this any different from what the Federal Reserve does?
  • SniperZ, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5When you lose $8.9 Billion in one quarter you gotta make up for it somehow.
  • centure7, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I currently work with cash on a daily basis. Every single bogus bill our dept. has found this year is missing the color-shifting ink. Just an FYI. I know for know on I will check at least that on every $50 or $100 bill I get.
  • robertmules, on 07/24/2008, -5/+0The broader markets are set to sell off at the open on more disappointments in terms of earnings, worsening weekly job numbers and continuing concerns about the health of the economy. Another key report out this morning, where expectations are measured, is the Existing Home Sales report for June. And oil prices are ticking higher, above the $124 level, but still well off recent highs at the $147 level. Get market moving news at http://xil.in/5923/ .
  • phiberz, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Oh great, now local banks turned on their printing presses?
  • hit2cho, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1the bank is trying to avoid bankruptcy? or an inside job on a teller's behalf (trying to hustle the bank and the client)?
  • deterministic, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0So, which ones are worth more, the real ones or the fake ones?
  • Elliuotatar, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I've gotten bills that I suspect are counterfeit but, ironically, because the govenrment keeps changing them in an affort to stay ahead of counterfeiters, there's so many variaitons out there that I can't tell what's real and what's fake. Plus, there's no way I could ever prove who handed me the fake bill, if it is fake, and I sure as hell ain't gonna be the one to take the loss. So it's better just to not even question it.
    • kingmanic, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2"ironically, because the govenrment keeps changing them in an affort to stay ahead of counterfeiters,"

      Ironically it's citizens like you which make counterfeiting so easy. Other nations have changed their bills more often then the US. The US resisted adding new security features for a long time and thus the Greenback became one of the most counterfeited currencies. There is a lot of people with opinions like yours which keeps the treasury conservative and also less effective.

  • JRHodes88, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I think i might be screwed for two reasons:
    1) I live in Orlando
    2) I bank with Wachovia
    • Brok3nflag, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1my roomates in the same boat I wanna know which bank it is
    • Cerebral, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Get your ***** out of there! Why are you posting on digg?
  • crackberri, on 07/24/2008, -6/+1If the Demotards win this November, there will be a lot more banks distributing counterfeit bills….
  • awtripp, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Nice sensationalist title. They have only been accused of giving out counterfeit money. It is very possible that these are just a couple of douche bags trying to get a free grand from ten fake $100 bills they had lying around. You know? Just because (in spooky voice) corporations are eeevviill!!! doesn't mean ordinary people don't have ***** motives either.
    • Trigonometron, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Agreed, I worked in a bank and this happens all the time. Banks are always on the lookout for counterfeit money. This story is just getting attention because
      1]Wachovia's in the news, and
      2]Everyone on Digg thinks they're an expert on ::Insert Currently Popular Topic Here::
    • Cuchanu, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1That's true, but what if they are telling the truth? That $600 is a lot more important to them then it is to the bank. And speaking from experience (I got a fake $20 from Radioshack) it ***** sucks when you get fake money and don't notice it because they will just tell you to eat *****.

      I guess they should have looked at the bills closer, but who expects that kind of thing to happen?
      • awtripp, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I was just playing devil's advocate. My point was just stop writing things (headlines in particular) that haven't been proven and can't be proven with the facts that are present. As well as, everyone jumping on the assumption-boat about the bank giving out fake bills. Either scenario is possible, but I still like to hold the innocent until proven guilty standard.
  • iamthearm, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0$40 is quite different than $1000. I can understand the Bank refunding $40 but not $1000. That's sort of irrelevant to me. I want to say "we'll see what comes of this case" but nobody ever follows up. It's all about sensationalism of the story and not the solution.
  • welliwonder, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3scary, good thing I bank at Bank of America, RIGHT?!?!?! :-(
    • Cuchanu, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I know you are joking but seriously go to a Credit Union. They are non-profit so you don't get screwed all the time like with BoA, Wells Fargo, etc.
  • Lunarbunny, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I'm not sure why they wouldn't just wire the money between banks.
  • j0se, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Waaaaahoooooooo!
  • McShr3dd3r, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1There is something larger going on here I think
  • fijidaddy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3i expect sh** like this from Floridians,
  • atb12688, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Wachovia Securities world headquarters here in St. Louis was "swarmed" not too long ago. I think they were looking for bunnies.*
  • liuite, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1the fox has been watching the hen house for way to long!
  • Cuchanu, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1OK PEOPLE IT'S TIME TO DO LIKE THE VIETNAMESE AND WITHDRAW ALL YOUR CASH AND START CONVERTING IT TO JEWELRY!!! Even when the ***** hits the fan people like diamonds and gold.
  • WiretapStudios, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Orlando...fake bills...Disney Dollars maybe?
  • avrus, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0Seems like a pretty big gap in the financial system.

    A bank, who is supposed to be a trusted and guaranteed organization, allegedly gives me counterfeit money and somehow I'm responsible?

    If you can't trust that the bills you're getting from the bank are legitimate, doesn't that spell the end to a physical paper based monetary system?

    And it would be easy to determine whether the bank handled the bills. The FBI will almost certainly fingerprint the notes, and compare those to the tellers working at the bank. That's likely one of the first things they're going to do in their investigation.

    Unless the couple is the most idiotic humans on the planet, they would not have called the FBI in addition to alerting the media.
  • vawksel, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2In other news: Man counterfeits $100 bills in his house, mixes them in with larger set of valid bills then claims he got them all that way from a local bank. Bank of America catches him.
  • ShadowFox06, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0I have a counterfeit story of my own.

    I worked at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA (a theme park) under the Games division. One night I was working the game where you toss the ping pong balls into those plastic cups so my hand was wet all day long so I didn't want to go into my apron each time and get my damn counterfeit pen. Late at night, the chick next to my game got $60 in counterfeit change so I checked my stash and found a $20 bill that was counterfeit. If this is during the day, it's easy for me see the bill is fake without holding the bill near a light source since the sunlight makes it really easy to spot the watermark as your handing back the customer their change. Or if my hands were dry,you can touch the upper shoulders of the individual on the bill and you can feel texture. Counterfeit bills don't have feeling sensation, they feel plain.

    I agree with the others, checking your bill in front of a customer just shows them that you don't trust them and they give stupid remarks half the time I do it.
  • macaronie88, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1i don't know if this guy is actually telling the truth... i mean 10 counterfeit bills all at once? sounds sketch
  • atomicbang13, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Bet he's lying.
  • CyclonusRIP, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4One time I got a counterfeit $10, and tried to buy a fountain drink at a gas station and he wouldn't take it. So I was like w/e thats the only cash I have c ya. And he was like w/e u can have the drink. Then I went and bought lunch some other place with it. So IMO counterfeit bills are awesome.
  • electricwaffles, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0Well that's one way to save money.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 53 of 53 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.